Tuesday 27 July 2021

Experience the full potential of Microsoft Flight Simulator with its extensive lineup of handcrafted airports.

The latest version of Microsoft Flight Simulator marked the arrival of a disruptive, cloud-powered entry in the genre. The use of satellite imagery and map data helps create a highly-detailed, accurate replica of our planet, serving as a limitless sandbox for virtual aviators. While it's host to thousands of airports, Microsoft pays special attention to a hand-picked range. Here's what you need to know about airports in Microsoft Flight Simulator, and how they relate to game editions.

Microsoft Flight Simulator has over 37,000 airports

The virtual world of Microsoft Flight Simulator sets out to mirror planet Earth in full, leveraging satellite imagery and mapping data down to the meter. That includes thousands of airports, ranging from small grass airstrips to top international hotspots. Microsoft has 37,000 "manually edited" locales, ensuring faithful reflections of their real-world counterparts.

The Flight Simulator team has discussed the measures to represent each runway, which require additional love to align with reality. The dedicated tools allow developer, Asobo Studio, to outline the site perimeter, runway footprint, orientation, and other properties. The approach also allows Microsoft to flag artifacts and visual anomalies from the birds-eye view, clearing up the input for the world-building algorithm. The result feeds Microsoft's artificial intelligence, stringing the environment together in the cloud, and streamed to your PC in real-time.

Microsoft has also discussed a curated variety of "top-level" airports, blessed with a further handcrafted charm over the masses. These destinations receive additional custom-made buildings and props, aiming to translate their full identity into the simulation. It's reserved exclusively to iconic and popular locations, with substantial human input far exceeding the data's limitations.

What is a 'Handcrafted Airport' in Microsoft Flight Simulator?

What about the "handcrafted airports?" Microsoft's handcrafted airports refer to those "top-level" locations, with massive creative input over the broader 37,000. This includes recreating various defining architecture, custom lighting models, and better mapping the intricacies of areas to their real-life detailing.

While Microsoft Flight Simulator first shipped with 40 handcrafted locations, we've since seen Microsoft deliver regular "World Updates," downloadable expansions free to all users, upgrading world detail for specific regions. Initial updates have visited regions in Europe, North America, and Asia, adding new landmarks, airports, and more throughout the virtual globe. World Updates regularly introduce a few new handcrafted airports, with the list of airports steadily growing.

Microsoft Flight Simulator ships at $60 in the U.S. and includes 20 aircraft and 30 handcrafted airports. The Deluxe and Premium Deluxe each expand the offerings, with five additional aircraft and airports with each tier. Check out the full list of planes in Microsoft Flight Simulator for additional information on the aircraft.

How Microsoft Flight Simulator airports work across editions

With Microsoft tying select handcrafted airports to various game editions, the world may appear different for some players. Those without access to Deluxe and Premium Deluxe editions can still visit those ten exclusive airports. Instead, they receive in-game models of airport buildings and furnishings with reduced visual fidelity, using generic airport assets.

For multiplayer, that introduces a new disparity between versions. Pilots may see different variants of airports, even if it's not immediately noticeable while playing. The underlying functionality remains identical for all, with handcrafted airports merely cosmetic upgrades designed to reflect the real world. There's no worry about playing with friends across different editions, even if the Premium Deluxe promises the full package.

List of Microsoft Flight Simulator airports

Microsoft Flight Simulator ships with up to 40 handcrafted airports, which each feature improved levels of detail and immersion over the algorithmically-generated designs. While those with the base Microsoft Flight Simulator edition can sample 30 custom designs, a further 10 airports tie to premium bundles. The full list of Microsoft Flight Simulator 2020 handcrafted airports follows, with their required editions.

ICAO Airport Code Airport Name Country Edition / Update
KASE Aspen/Pitkin County Airport USA Standard
WX53 Bugalaga Airstrip (CAMA) Indonesia Standard
SPGL Chagual Airport Peru Standard
LFLJ Courchevel Altiport France Standard
EIDL Donegal Airport Ireland Standard
HUEN Entebbe International Airport Uganda Standard
LPMA Cristiano Ronaldo Madeira International Airport Portugal Standard
LXGB Gibraltar International Airport Gibraltar Standard
LOWI Innsbruck Airport Austria Standard
KLAX Los Angeles International Airport USA Standard
VNLK Tenzing-Hillary Airport Nepal Standard
KEB Nanwalek Airport USA Standard
KJFK John F. Kennedy International Airport USA Standard
KMCO Orlando International Airport USA Standard
LFPG Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport France Standard
VQPR Paro International Airport Bhutan Standard
NZQN Queenstown Airport New Zealand Standard
SEQM Mariscal Sucre International Airport Ecuador Standard
SBGL Rio de Janeiro-Antonio Carlos Jobim/Galeao Int'l Airport Brazil Standard
TNCS Juancho E. Yrausquin Airport Dutch Saba Standard
TFFJ Gustaf III Airport Saint Barthélemy Standard
KSEA Seattle-Tacoma International Airport USA Standard
KSEZ Sedona Airport USA Standard
MRSN Sirena Aerodrome Costa Rica Standard
CZST Stewart Airport Canada Standard
YSSY Sydney Airport Australia Standard
KTEX Telluride Regional Airport USA Standard
RJTT Haneda Airport Japan Standard
MHTG Toncontin International Airport Honduras Standard
CYTZ Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport Canada Standard
EHAM Amsterdam Airport Schiphol Netherlands Deluxe
HECA Cairo International Airport Egypt Deluxe
FACT Cape Town International Airport South Africa Deluxe
KORD O'Hare International Airport USA Deluxe
LEMD Adolfo Suarez Madrid-Barajas Airport Spain Deluxe
KDEN Denver International Airport USA Premium
OMDB Dubai International Airport United Arab Emirates Premium
EDDF Frankfurt Airport Germany Premium
EGLL Heathrow Airport United Kingdom Premium
KSFO San Francisco International Airport USA Premium
RJTH Hachijojima Airport Japan World Update I
ROKR Kerama Airport Japan World Update I
RJCK Kushiro Airport Japan World Update I
RJFU Nagasaki Airport Japan World Update I
RORS Shimojishima Airport Japan World Update I
RJX8 Suwanosejima Airport Japan World Update I
KATL Hartsfield–Jackson Atlanta International Airport USA World Update II
KDFW Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport USA World Update II
KFHR Friday Harbor Airport USA World Update II
KSWF New York Stewart International Airport USA World Update II
EGPR Barra Airport United Kingdom World Update III
EGGP Liverpool John Lennon Airport United Kingdom World Update III
EGHC Land's End Airport United Kingdom World Update III
EGCB Manchester-Barton City Airport United Kingdom World Update III
EG78 Out Skerries Airport United Kingdom World Update III
LFHM Megève Airport France World Update IV
LFMN Nice Côte d'Azur Airport France World Update IV
EHRD Rotterdam The Hague Airport Netherlands World Update IV
EKRN Bornholm Airport Denmark World Update V
BIIS Ísafjörður Airport Iceland World Update V
ESSA Stockholm Arlanda Airport Sweden World Update V
ENSB Svalbard Airport Norway World Update V
EFVA Vaasa Airport Finland World Update V

How to download World Updates in Microsoft Flight Simulator

With regular World Updates available in Microsoft Flight Simulator, it's crucial to ensure you have these free installations for the best available experience. These packs are available on both PC and Xbox versions of the title displayed as free downloads via the in-game Flight Marketplace. Visit the "Marketplace" tab while in-game to download any of the latest World Update add-ons for free.

What's new with Microsoft Flight Simulator airports?

Beyond satellite and mapping data, Microsoft Flight Simulator brings bespoke refinements to all airports. The game automatically inserts ambient life based on the size of the location. Many of its flagship international hotspots also host vehicles and walking ground crew. Like Flight Simulator X, various services are also available upon request, such as fuel and power supplies or baggage and catering. These bring more complex animations, capturing the full airline experience.

Microsoft has also introduced some changes to runways with this iteration, extending far beyond pretty lights and new visuals. The full aerodynamics overhaul also incorporates a new collision model, capable of handling static and dynamic friction, and simulating the relationship between tires and materials. That allowed the team to implement sloped runways, best demonstrated with infamous locations like the Courchevel Altiport, nestled in the French Alps.

The Legend Returns

Microsoft Flight Simulator

$60 at Microsoft (PC) $60 at Microsoft (Xbox) $60 at Amazon

Prepare for take-off.

Microsoft Flight Simulator takes to the skies, promising a cloud-powered globe, with authenticity on an unmatched scale. It's now available on PC and Xbox, with three flavors available.



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